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Tatler Asia
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As the “Occupation of Wall Street” continues growing globally, many wonder what the outcome will be, and what is causing the movement in the first place. Unfortunately, the name of the movement and its relation to Wall Street, does not do justice to the real issues at hand. Yes, the original protests started as a result of the dissatisfaction with high paid bonuses and salaries to those in Wall Street, but there is something much bigger driving the issue at hand in this movement, and it is not just about Wall Street. It is about “unheartful capitalism,” as recently described by the CEO of Pepsi, Indrya Nooyi.

Companies are organs of society. They link everything together, provide products and services, give people the means to earn a living, and generally make our lives better. However, as short term thinking, quarterly earnings, “shareholder value” and profits dominated decisions and financial instruments held an unsustainable tyranny, the system broke down. This is not the case everywhere, but it is apparent in almost every country, where management has failed to remember the binding, overriding qualities of a company as an organ for the community. Today, people are venting their frustration, due to the lack of jobs available, degraded environment, growing wealth gaps, and a myriad of other issues that have been accumulating in our societies for the past thirty years.

Tatler Asia
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The tipping point is upon us, and if you don’t believe it, watch this space in the months to come. It is not about pure money and wealth mismanagement, it is about societal leadership failure and the prevalence of greed.

One of the biggest opportunities that companies have in order to regain their edge, and take the lead within their industry, is to embrace socially engaged capitalism. This is when capitalism still works, but values of the community and environment are enhanced, resulting in a sustainable, continued operation.

Tatler Asia
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The problem today is that although “sustainability” is often discussed, too often it seems to be simply meant for the back pages of an annual report. If asked what sustainability means, an interesting definition I’ve come across is ‘when companies invest in, and create products or services, that solve a problem.” For example, according to Dr. Elizabeth Edersheim of Theme, a practitioner of Peter Drucker’s management styles, Procter and Gamble has more impact on global water quality than any country on the planet, including China. In the same light, Unilever sells products to two billion people per day. Imagine what changes they can make when the right sustainability metrics and engagement are put into place.

Socially engaged capitalism, and the benefits that are brought to the environment and societies’ betterment along the way, will win the hearts and minds of both customers and employees alike. All companies have a chance today to truly become engaged in their communities, and that means getting involved in community issues, even alongside non-profit organisations, in order to create better, long-lasting solutions, increasing brand value along the way. According to Young & Rubicam, 72% of the Dow Jones market cap is based on intangible assets, up from only 20% in 1980. Brand Finance’s recent study showed that 62% of the value of the world’s business is now intangible, representing US$19.5 trillion of the US$31.6 trillion of global market value. This means that the consumers and the stock market values qualities in a company that are hard to account for in black and white. Today, there is a movement around the world that speaks to this issue

Tatler Asia
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The problem is that for too long, top management has not embraced or optimised this value proposition, likely because they have not realised its significance.

They have not engaged or communicated well with the communities they serve. The opportunities to change are there for the taking, but only for those who “get it.” The Wall Street Occupation movement is calling out for these corporate leaders to emerge and to work with society to right the many wrongs that have been percolating for all to long without being properly addressed.

Tatler Asia
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Reading between the lines to understand some of the brewing ills of those who are participating, if a company wants to bring this growing movement into their “camp,” one way to do it will to become truly involved in improving some of the world’s environmental issues. Asia is ripe for this type of participation, and though the movement has not reached this side of the ocean in a big way, those who see it coming will be the early winners.

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